Life Before And After I Got Killed: Rue's Story
by secrets in eyes of beholders
Summary: This is the story of how I was before and how everyone reacts after I get killed. This is my story. My name is Rue Grainsmore.
1. Halt!

Welcome to the newest genre of my fanfiction writing! I will be making some stories like these, making a series, hopefully. Bye, and love the story for me!

_Disclaimer: __Rue and the whole Hunger Games concept belong to Mrs. Suzanne Collins__, Audry(Aud-ri), Cadring(Cad-ring), Stalk, Rosie, and Marlin(Mar-lin) belong to me, as well as the plot of the story belong to me._

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_Ah, ah, ah, ah. _I hear the mockingjays sing after I say the bundle of sounds, representing the end of another long, hard worked harvest day, no school for another 2 weeks, we need all from the children who can stand and do things to the crippled bodies where 70-year-old men and women's souls belong to. The short tune traveled along the ongoing fields of full grown corn, wheat, and potatoes. I am in District 11, Zone 3, along with my large, dark-skinned, family of eight, including yours truly.

I hear the same tune coming towards my side, north from south, symbolizing that they heard and know. My sensitive ears pick up brown workers' boots hitting the packed brown earth. People are starting to leave the large fields, guarded by the white uniformed Peacekeepers. They carefully take notice that everyone is leaving, including me.

I run, barefooted as most of the children are, to the white double gates, where the rigid Peacekeepers stand.

"Halt! I command you to halt!" One of the Peacekeepers say to myself and my five other siblings, putting a hand out, blocking us from the entrance. I'm really getting exasperated, I'm hungry, petite, 12-year-old Rue, who can't tip the scale at 70 pounds, even trying my hardest, gripping and all, even eating as much as I can, still skinny, still tiny.

I stop, almost tipping on my heels, as well as my siblings. I have my eyes, wide open, light reflecting off of my dark brown eyes, staring at the four Peacekeepers, guarding the gate. Boy, I can't wait until that day comes when the Peacekeepers finally leave us, innocent, harmless people, who, I haven't mentioned yet, work for the Capitol, to provide their _loveliness. _If they wanted that, why not do it themselves!

"Why were you running?" One of the tall uniformed men asks no one in particular. He gazes at us, one at a time, and he stops at my sister, Rosie, whom she is the youngest, and is _always _terrified of the Capitol and Peacekeepers. It is obvious she didn't want to answer, because after being answered the question, she looked away, as if she wasn't being the one questioned. That earned her a slap in the face. She staggered backwards, her cheek flushed, then became red. I covered her with my body, wrapping my arms around her tiny body.

"Well, answer! You!" The Peacekeeper demanded, pointing at me. I stood in shock for a moment, then readied myself to answer for my siblings, whom I would die for, anyday, anytime.

"I- er. We were trying to get back and we wanted to have a little race." I see my friends, Alma and Gardenia, getting past the gate, as the Peacekeepers have all eyes and ears on us, piercing their eyes into our souls, as if they wanted to know all our secrets and do an X-Ray on us. Just thinking about that, makes me want to cringe, but I don't, if I did, I probably would be slapped as well.

"I see. Go children. Don't run anymore or serious consequences will have to be performed." The Peacekeepers shooed us away, and we walked out of the gates, keeping an eye on them, making sure we don't see them anymore, nor they see us, to start running again. Large dried out bushes separate the fields and the main road. I signal my siblings with a snap of my index and thumb fingers, to tell them the coast is clear. We immediately take off for the house, which is on the outskirts of the district, we are one of the poorest families here, even in poor families, we rank low.

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We stop by my friend Marlin's shop to get a Groosling leg for Rosie, it's a bird native to our district, and you can find it anywhere, and everywhere. I give in all my money, about $1.67 in coins, and shoved it towards Marlin.

"'Ey, it's free, girl." His grandmother gave me a toothy smile, with many toothless gum gaps were replacing the teeth. She took the money from Marlin, and gave it to Audry. Rosie hugged Marlin's grandmother's legs, because that's how small she was. Rosie was a big foodie, and was never picky, she liked everything that was. Rosie grabbed it and bit into it aggressively. We had to go, so we started to head out. We let the others go first, and then I went to his grandmother.

"Marlin's grandmother, thank you." I told her. She pulled me right into a warm, tight hug, even though she was a bit boney. It was clear she was getting old and wrinkly, but I didn't mind.

"Oh, you's welcome, chile. Now go on." She said, and I did.

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End of Chapter 1! Hope you liked it! If I get **5 or more reviews, **I will do my best to write another chapter and post it up! If I don't, I'll try to get it up by next week, and you also have permission to virtually slap me.


	2. Flower, You Okay?

_I see a tree to climb, oh wonderful. I don't notice the trap that is pressed to the ground, and I get trapped. I call for help, help doesn't come. I scream, a boy approaches me, with a devilish grin on his face, ear to ear like a Cheshire Cat, spear ready in his hands. He strikes, and I take my last breath..._

"Ahhh!" I sit up, cold sweat beading on my forehead. I breath heavily, each breath starting to get slow and steady. I close my eyes, scared if I do get chosen. I think for a minute, then I open my eyes, my family is staring at me. My ma is at my side, and my pa is in my face. I stare into his amber eyes, he stares into mine.

"Are you okay, Flower?" My pa suddenly says. My siblings lay back on the bed, and I hug my pa. He's the only one who really understands me, we are identical. I nod my head, and my poofy hair bobs along.

"It's Reapin' day, sweet cheeks. Be careful." My ma says, kinda of like a warning, to try not to get picked. I have my name in there 7 times, and I can't do anything about me not getting picked. I won't survive, it'll be the last time my family sees me, alive. I kiss Ma and Pa on the cheek, probably the last time I see them. There's a huge lump in my throat, and I do the best to choke it down, but I can't do anything about it as well; I burst into tears.

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My ma helps me get ready, to look nice. I put on a simple white blouse, and I pull up my green skirt; it's a bit big on me.

"That was my skirt, ya know? I wore it to my first Reaping." My mama said, if she were proud, her smile fades away, and it was replaced by an emotionless face. She pins up my skirt, so it wouldn't fall. Now it was a bit too tight, but now it wouldn't matter because if I went, I wouldn't care anymore; my fate would be to die.

"You look beautiful, sweet cheeks." She hugs me tight, as if it were the last thing to do on Earth, if she was going to die the next minute. We held on for a while, for me, it felt like _forever_. She _finally_ lets me go, and I suddenly feel heavy. Maybe the hug? I don't know. I'll probably never know why.

"Mama, if I go, I'll miss you forever." I had tears rolling down my cheeks, I feel it. She starts bursting out too. If this is my last moment with my mama, my sweet dear mama on this Earth, I'll be forever grateful to have a family like mine, and to have a mama like mine.

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Short chapter, sorry. I didn't get the goal, so _**5+ reviews is the key to chapter 3!**_


	3. Where are you, dear?

So sorry I haven't been posting but I have been pretty busy with other things, so enjoy!

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That buzzer thing hurts, by the way. After I got blood drawn from my finger that was like stabbed with electricity, I got into the group I was designated in. No matter what, I'll put on a brave face. No matter what, I won't be scared. I'll try my best to not get picked. Maybe I'll get lucky. Then again, luck has nothing to do with it, it has nothing to do with anything. It's either you're in or you're out; it's called life, toughen up.

I see girls around my age hugging their parents for the last time. I wish I have done that, but I'm in and that's it. I lock eyes with my ma, and she blows me a kiss, and I catch it and hold with with me as if it were to be the real thing. But it's not. I open my hand, air is blowing through, that's what it is, _air. _And that's all.

Theta Flamsneed comes onto the small stage and walks around, there isn't much to walk around on. I know because once I had to. I had accepted an award for my brother Timothy Grainsmore when he died 6 years ago, he fought in some battle I don't know of. Who would know? Everyone is just worrying if they'll wake up to sunlight the next day at the feet of the Capitol.

"Welcome! Happy Hunger Games everyone," Theta says in her best accent, I suppose British, I learned of them in school. Interesting type of people. "And may the odds be ever in _your _favor. Now, we have a short film, brought to you all the way from the Capitol! How exciting!" How _disgusting_, how do people pick up this sappy things. The movie is conjured up at a big white tarp thingy. The regular thing, every year. Doesn't matter if you're younger than 12, older than 18, you have to see it _every_ year. Annoying Theta mouths the words, how—what's the word— _annoying_. I'm sure other escorts do that, but not like her, without a doubt. Finally, it was done.

"Now, it is time to select one brave girl and boy to represent District 11 in the 74th Annual Hunger Games!" She says it like it's an honor to. The last time District 11 had a victor was, I think, the 29th Hunger Games, and that was our 2nd or 3rd person. I obviously wasn't even born then, or my parents.

"Ladies first." Theta says it like a threat. I shiver at the moment. The girls surrounding me are like body guards to President Snow; you can't see me at all. Theta lingers her hand above the clear bowl, it scares me, how she's taking _too_ much time just to pick a name. She dips her hand in, and swirls the pool of cards. She picks up a name and shows it to everyone.

She opens it like a nicely wrapped present; tearing slowly. She takes a glance at the name for a second.

"Rue Grainsmore." I have my mouth open in shock. What just happened? The girls who had once blocked me now have an entry way for me to step out of line.

"Where are you dear? Come on up. Nothing to be shy about." Nothing to be shy about?! More like a lot to be shy about! I'm going to get killed! Tears shone in my eyes, as they stung, threatening to burst. I took one step at a time. _Thump, thump, thump, _was what I heard from my black Mary Janes hitting the packed earth hard. I might as well hit it hard while I'm still on this face of the earth, rather than sitting on a cloud in the heavens.

I fix my skirt, and prepare for the worst.


	4. Time's Up

Shout out to Tsunami97, who seriously loves the story so far! Also, to anyone who loves it! This chapter is dedicated to you guys! Never change! Here's another chapter for y'all!

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All I hear is _Rue Grainsmore, Rue Grainsmore, Rue Grainsmore._ I almost see total **black **like my skin. I want to see if this is some kind of contest or whatever, that I'm just hallucinating, that this isn't real. But it's real alright, because I can hear my name being called by annoying Theta again, and I'm walking towards her. I must be drunk then.

I walk on stage, I must be mad. I start pinching myself on stage. Theta came a little closer to me, I went a little back.

"Oh dear, are you okay?" Theta laughed, and probably expected everyone to laugh with her, but no one did. In fact, Ma gave me one of her signature death stares to cut it out, I did. I didn't want to get killed before I get to the games.

"Gentlemen next!" She does the same exaggeration for the guys like mine; lingers around the bowl a bit, then dig her hand in there, swirl it, then pull it out like a present, waiting to be unwrapped.

"Thresh Sorghum. Come on up." Theta says after she opens the card carefully, then inspecting the name. A large boy comes onto the stage without hesitation, he's probably not scared. I think I know him. Or at least my family does. He is like a super human, and I'm super ant. Theta afterwords made us shake hands, either one of us will lose, or both. His hand is huge compared to mine, and he crushed it, if it were just bones, he could make bread with it, like bone bread if there were such a thing.

The white uniformed Peacekeepers shoo us in the Justice Building, where each of us get a room to say our last goodbyes.

The tears start flowing when I see my family push through the wooden doors.

"Shh, shh." My ma says as she holds me tighter and tighter with each tear. We all seem to end up in a group hug, them surrounding me.

"Don't forget us." Audry says to me.

"Yeah, don't." Cadring peeps.

"Me either." Stalk comments.

"Remember me, Rue." Rosie says with tears in her eyes. All of us siblings had such a tight bond, and it'll break once I die.

"Now children, don't be so selfish, all of us need to be remembered, and I'm sure Ms. Sweet Cheeks will remember us." I laugh when my pa says this.

Suddenly the door bangs open. Two Peacekeepers stand at the ready holding the doors open.

"Time's up." One says in a firm stern voice.

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Sorry for the short chapters, and this is were we stop for now!


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